Home to the Long Island Woman Suffrage Association, Antonia Petrash, Editor

The New York Times reported today that newly discovered letters exchanged between Susan B. Anthony and fellow suffragist Rachel Foster Avery escaped the danger of being sold at auction, and instead were purchased by the University of Rochester who will digitize and preserve them in their Susan B. Anthony collection.

Rachel Foster Avery and Susan B. Anthony enjoyed a close relationship, and often expressed their concern for each other. Susan called Rachel her “darling first adopted niece,” and Rachel in turn considered Susan her “beloved and revered second mother.” The university’s historical manuscripts librarian described Anthony’s nurturing comments to Avery as a side of Susan’s character that is not often found in her other works and papers.

This is very good news for those of us who continue to celebrate and study the woman suffrage movement, as the conservancy of them in the university setting insures their preservation for generations to come.